


Heroes

by ChillyHollow



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Gen, Heroes, Love, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26651836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/pseuds/ChillyHollow
Summary: Cormoran ponders how he feels about his business partner.No spoilers.
Relationships: Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	Heroes

He stopped at a coffee shop on the way back to the office, and sat at an outside table to drink a coffee in the weak fall sunshine so he could also have a cigarette.He’d been cutting back on the smoking for a while now, so this was only his second smoke of the day.Maybe it was the lack of nicotine that had him feeling unsettled.Or perhaps it was the fact that it was 11 November.

Remembrance Day was no longer always on 11 November.He’d always thought that the shifting of the day of the actual observance around meant the meaning was beginning to disappear.He was a traditionalist, and a student of history, and he didn’t care for Remembrance Sunday or Poppy Day or whatever it was called now.Stick to the real date.

He wondered idly what life would be like if he’d stayed in the Army instead of invaliding out.He wouldn't have married Charlotte regardless.That relationship was always doomed to fail.He might not have even gotten engaged to her if he’d had the job to cling to during his long rehab.

He certainly wouldn’t have met Robin, his partner and closest friend, if he’d stayed inside the Army, and that would have been a shame.He’d shared more with Robin than anyone else in his life—both good and bad.He was her mentor; she was his sounding board.She was a quick learner, an apt pupil, and she was better than he was at some parts of the job.Nothing was better than figuring out something with her help.She did scare him, though.She was brave but she was also reckless when it came to helping someone or trusting someone.She was braver than he was when it came to people.He trusted Robin. He told her things he had not told anyone else and he knew she did the same.They were privy to each other’s secrets.She thought sharing a burden lightened the load.It did, but it put them both at risk, too.If you cared, you were vulnerable.And he cared about Robin in ways he did not want to admit to anyone, perhaps not even himself.He took another sip of the coffee now that it had cooled a bit.

He was generally considered a brave man.He had the medals to prove it, too, although he was skeptical about medals.They were often given for reasons other than merit, or not given where deserved because public recognition for some exceptional act was not politic.He knew men who deserved medals for their acts who had not gotten them.He knew men who had them who didn’t deserve them.Bravery and medals didn’t follow like night follows day.Medals were not proof you were brave, anyway.At the most they were just proof you could do the job under fire instead of letting your fears rule you.At worst they were proof you had connections or political pull. 

True bravery was sticking up for the right thing, or just putting your head down and getting the job done.Maybe it would also be brave to tell Robin how he felt about her despite the risk to their business if any personal relationship went badly.But he was not great at relationships.He forgot birthdays and anniversaries and Christmas presents were a trial, not a delight to purchase.He had little time to spend with a woman and not that much cash to spend on one, either.He would turn forty in a couple of weeks.Robin deserved a man who was younger, healthier, who was physically whole, who would make her the center of his universe, take care of her and give her children.Anyone who loved Robin wouldn’t deny her that. 

He had to admit to himself sitting here with his coffee and his cigarette, that he did love Robin.He’d sacrifice anything for her comfort and safety, including the chance to kiss her, make love to her.If he never knew what it was like, that would be ok since he’d also never ruin her life by depriving her of the things she deserved.He knew Robin.She was like him, she’d throw her whole heart into love.She deserved to not have her life warped by someone like him.You didn’t do that to your partner, your best friend, to the person you loved.

He stood up and tossed his coffee cup into the trash, put out the cigarette, and headed back to the office, another everyday hero, doing everything possible to keep the one he loved safe.


End file.
